Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) job performance is slipping among Republicans, according to a new survey.
An Economist/YouGov poll conducted between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24 and released on Thursday found 49 percent of Republicans strongly or somewhat approved of Johnson’s handling of his job as Speaker.
A separate 20 percent said they didn’t approve of his job performance while 30 percent said they were unsure.
A similar poll conducted between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10 found 60 percent of Republican respondents said they approved of the way Johnson handled his job as Speaker, while 12 percent said they disapproved and 28 percent said they were not sure.
Johnson is fighting to keep the Speaker’s gavel on Friday as House members convene to elect their leader in the lower chamber. The polling was conducted before President-elect Trump endorsed Johnson in the race.
The Louisiana Republican can only afford one defection from within his party – assuming there’s full attendance and every member votes for a candidate. That means he needs 218 votes to keep his job as Speaker, though at least one member, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), has said he won’t vote for him, raising questions about who else may defect against Johnson.